Dhootha Review – Partly Thrills!

Cast: Naga Chaitanya, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Prachi Desai, Pasupathy, Ravindra Vijay, Tharun Bhascker, Rohini, Tanikella Bharani, Eeshwari Rao and others
Director: Vikram K Kumar
Producers: Sharrath Marar
Music : Ishaan Chhabra
Release Date : 01 – 12 – 2023
Streaming On : Amazon Prime

Dhootha marks the OTT debut of Naga Chaitanya and he plays a journalist in this crime thriller which is written and directed by Vikram Kumar. The series is now streaming on Amazon Prime and let’s review it here.

Plot

Sagar(Naga Chaitanya) is a very popular journalist who is sworn in as the editor-in-chief of the Samachar newspaper. But the happiness does not last long as he is drawn into a deep mess related to a series of crimes. Sagar finds a newspaper clipping that predicts the crimes in advance. As time passes by, Sagar himself gets involved in the crimes, and a top cop played by (Parvathy Thiruvothu) is assigned to nab the culprits. Who is targeting Sagar? What are these newspaper clippings? Who is this Dhootha and what is his backstory? That forms the rest of the story.

Performances

Naga Chaitanya, who is known to play romantic roles, gets a makeover with Dhootha. He plays a mature character and Chay is at ease in his character. Vikram Kumar has extracted solid performance from Chay. Dhootha gave Chay so much to showcase in terms of expressions and body language and the stat hero pulls it off with ease and is extremely good in all the emotional scenes. Prachi Desai gets a good role but her character arc is not handled properly. Prachi’s Telugu lip sync is also not that impressive. Parvathy Thiruvothu plays a cop, and though she overacts in the initial scenes of the show, she does well as the series comes to an end. Priya Bhavani Shankar is routine in her role. Tharun Bhascker and Tanikella Bharani were also neat in their crisp roles.

Technical Aspects

Dhootha is high on technical aspects. Director Vikram Kumar has chosen a dark theme and night visuals to narrate the thriller. Most of the series has a rain effect and this is captured so well by the camerawork. The VFX, slow-motion shots, and slick production design give this series an intriguing factor. Dialogues are neat and so was the art direction. The editing is neat but a few scenes where the show goes into the flashback mode should have been chopped off. The BGM is superb and enhances the scenes in a very good. Coming to Vikram Kumar’s script, his story idea, and the way he has used journalism as the crime backdrop are good.

What’s Good

Basic Storyline
Chay’s performance
Crisp narration

What’s Bad

Slow pace in mid-episodes
Flashback episodes
Supernatural element

Analysis

Director Vikram Kumar creates a unique premise with Dhootha. He takes a supernatural element and weaves a story around it in the backdrop of a corrupt journalist played by Naga Chaitanya. Things become even more interesting as Vikram Kumar narrates the crimes in a very interesting manner.

Before every crime, a newspaper clipping is found which predicts the crime, and this aspect is very well thought off. The first three episodes are gripping and create tension for the viewer to know what is going on in the series. Vikram Kumar’s arresting visuals are well supported by solid BGM and amazing production design. The way a few deaths are designed creates a tense atmosphere.

But once the show goes into a flashback mode, things become a bit slow. They do not create a proper impact and a lot of scenes from these flashback episodes should have been edited out to make the viewing experience better. The role of a Youtuber with a yellow jacket leaves a lot to be desired. The way Prachi Desai’s role is carried forward in the show is not done well. There are a few loopholes in the show related to the way the case is investigated.

Naga Chaitanya is at ease when he commits these crimes and nothing much is done by the cops. But all these errors are neatly covered by Vikram Kumar’s apt narration which keeps you engaged. The moment you feel that things are getting bogged down, a flurry of scenes is thrown at the audience and the series gets back on track. Vikram Kumar proves his mettle yet again and this time, he has worked on his weakness and made sure Dhootha engages the audience despite its shortcomings.

Bottom Line: Partly Thrills